This is a replica of a 4-2-0 wood-burning steam locomotive that was originally built in the early 1830s - the original still exists. This replica was built in the late 1930s and is on display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in the town of Strasburg.

From museum signage: "In 1831, several entrepreneurs began experimenting with a new form of transportation, the steam-powered railroad. One of these men was John Stevens. Having already built an experimental steam-carriage of his own, Stevens backed a new venture, the Camden and Amboy Railroad. This new line would link its namesake New Jersey towns, essentially providing a path of travel and commerce between the nation's largest cities, Philadelphia and New York.

As no American locomotive manufacturers yet existed, the first locomotive for the line was purchased from England. Built by Robert Stephenson & Company, the John Bull was crated and shipped in pieces to America. A young engineer named Isaac Dripps assembled the John Bull without any instructions and then went on to make several modifications to better suit its American operating environment. The John Bull became something of a test bed for Dripps' new ideas including the first cowcatcher, headlight, tender design, bell and whistle, and a new smoke stack. Later in its career, the John Bull would even receive an enclosed cab.

The John Bull remained in service until 1866, a good run for any steam locomotive and an astonishingly long career for such an early pioneer. But the end of its service life was just the beginning. When the Camden & Amboy Railroad was absorbed by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1871, it was the oldest locomotive on the roster. In fact, it was the oldest operable locomotive in the country!

The Pennsylvania Railroad seized on the opportunity to use this antique as a marketing tool. The locomotive was backdated to its 1830s appearance and paraded across the railroad at various events and celebrations. The locomotive's longest journey came in 1883 when it steamed all the way from Philadelphia to the National Railway Appliance Exposition in Chicago.

In 1884, the locomotive found a permanent home in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. It was the first engineering specimen acquired by the national museum. Although the Pennsylvania Railroad would be allowed to borrow the locomotive several times over the next fifty years, by 1939 neither the railroad nor the museum wanted to chance damaging this priceless artifact with continued operation.

In 1939, wanting an operational John Bull for the World's Fair in New York, the Pennsylvania Railroad constructed the replica you see here today. Carefully built to the original John Bull's dimensions in the Juniata Shops, the replica made its debut at the Fair in 1940. Exhibited with Camden & Amboy Railroad's coach Number 3, the locomotive made daily performances as part of the "Pageant of Locomotives". After the fair, the replica went into storage with the rest of the newly formed historic collection. The locomotive made several appearances at public events large and small, including the 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair and filming of the Pennsylvania Railroad's promotional film "Clear Track Ahead".